Tula's Story

Rescued from the Streets of Brooklyn

I'm an akita girl from Brooklyn --who was just wandering the streets all by myself & hanging out in the junkyard. That was until the summer of 2007, NYC Animal Control Officers picked me up. I was in rough shape.. very hungry, dirty, and my fur was full of tar . When they brought me to the NYC Animal Care Center, I didn't like the kennels or the strange people trying to touch me. The evaluator used words like rowdy, severe behavior problems, and blah blah blah. Before I knew it, I was off to live with Bonnie who runs a foster home out in the Berkshires of Western MA. In some cases, they call her when a dog has a hard time being kenneled (guess who?!). Once my picture was posted on Petfinder.com, my mom came to visit me. She was looking for her favorite breed, Akita.. ME.. someone cute.. ME.. a large dog.. ME (shhh i'm more like XL).. someone who could live in an apartment... ME?! Well, long story short, I found a new home in the Metrowest area of Boston, MASS. Whew..life isn't so bad anymore! except now I have a boston & brooklyn accent. fuggeddaboutit!

TACT: A Training Program for Dogs that Are Fearful or Reactive Towards People

yours truly is in the DVD! check it out! Click on the picture.

Understanding Reactive Dogs

Tula is a reactive dog. What?

In the book, Control Unleashed, Leslie McDevitt defines reactivity as follows:

Reactivity comes from anxiety, a feeling of uncertainty about something.

It is an information-seeking strategy. A reactive dog will rush toward something or someone that she is uncertain about, barking, lunging, growling and making a big display.

People sometimes perceive reactive behavior as aggression, but a reactive dog is not rushing in to do damage; she is attempting to assess the threat level of a given situation.

Her assessment strategy is intensified because she is panicking as the adrenaline flows through her body.

People sometimes perceive reactive behavior as "dominance" because they view a dog that flies at her triggers as a dog that wants to take charge. This is absolutely not the case.

Reactive dogs are anxious, and their response is intense because they are "freaking out".

Tula has participated in special Reactive Dog-training classes with author of Click to Calm, Emma Parsons and ruffian's class with Paul Emerson. Good News! she has graduated to a 'regular' dog basic obedience class (Good Dog 201) & improving all the time!